Winter Promise
by zeultrafangirl
Summary: One night, while giving a small neighborhood another snow day overnight, Jack Frost finds a mysterious person appear out of nowhere. He meets a girl named Xion, where they have the best time in the snow, as well as leaving a promise before parting ways.


**_A/N_****:** **Okay, I am so sorry that this has been edited constantly because I had to keep making plenty of changes. First time was grammatical and then second time I realized I wasn't really able to add a divider for the time gap (but I am glad that some people did figure it out). That being said, thank you for taking the time to read my one-shot. So sorry about all the updates.**

**Second ****_A/N_****: Okay, this should ****_honestly_**** be the last time this story has had to be edited. I think I might need to get a Beta reader from now on or something. Everything's the same except for little typos and grammatical errors (just like the last time). I also want to say thank you for the kind comments I've received. I might plan to do more with these two on the future, but that's a thought for another time. So once again, enjoy if you're reading this for a first time and thank you so much for reading this.**

It had been another fun snow day, and despite being unseen by the excited children, Jack couldn't help but smile at the joy in the kids' faces when they threw snowballs around. It was the closest, and would probably continue to be, the closest thing that Jack would ever feel to being included in a group. He could forget the lingering sense of loneliness he constantly felt, even though it was never completely gone. Just for those moments, no matter how long, he could just enjoy the playfulness and the enthusiasm that came from the children.

But now that the day was over, the kids had gone back home to their families and to sleep, Jack Frost was once again alone, and the pain came back and made the winter spirit sigh. He found a bare branch and sat on it, holding onto his staff and looking up at the moon. He could see the Sandman's Dream Sand traveling through the sky, bringing forth a light smile on his face and he was, for a brief amount of time, comforted. Yet the Dream Sand disappeared and there was only silence, once again leaving Jack alone to his thoughts as he looked up to the moon, wondering the same questions over and over again.

With a sigh, Jack wondered what else he could do to get the attention of the children, his mind never ceasing to think up fun ways for a child to finally notice him. Even though he had gotten used to being ignored for so long, it still wasn't good for him. He almost envied the children, having a family to go home to, having a friend to rely on when he basically had no one but himself. Because that was all Jack Frost wanted most of all; to feel loved, to have someone to go to, and for the terrible sensation of loneliness to just leave him be.

He stood up on the branch he had been sitting on, perfectly balancing himself before he flew off again and decided that it was best for now to leave the kids some more snow. Tomorrow was always another day. During his flight, his blue eyes caught something that he had found strange; a black shadowy portal appearing out of nowhere. He stayed suspended in flight, watching curiously as a mysterious figure walked out of the portal, wearing a black hooded robe.

This mysterious person looked to the left, then to the right, before looking straight up to him. Jack, at first, was unsure if the person was actually looking at him or just looking through him. There were so many times when people would just look at him and walk through him because they didn't believe in him, didn't know that he even existed. Yet at the same time, he knew this was different. He could feel the intense gaze, and instead of allowing this staring contest to continue on any longer, he floated on down so that he was in front of this hooded figure, his head tilting to the side as some of his snow white bangs fell over his eyes lightly.

"Can you… See me?" Jack asked hesitantly, holding onto his staff as he looked at the silent figure, who responded with just a slight nod. There was a moment of disbelief before a smile slowly grew on his face, but he still was curious. How could this mysterious person see and hear him when they came out of nowhere?

Just was he was about to ask his question, the hooded figure replied, somehow seeming to know what exactly was on his mind. "I actually wanted to see you," came the response, the gentle tone of voice made Jack at first recognize the gender of the voice as female. His assumption was proven right as the mysterious figure pulled down their hood, finally revealing their face. He saw that the young girl, who seemed to be about his age, had short, mid-neck length raven black hair and dark blue eyes. She looked up at him, smiling calmly at him. "Do you mind if I join you?"

Jack just shook his head, his light smile still on his face. "I honestly don't have anything else better to do," he responded with an almost nervous laugh, momentarily ignoring the fact that he was bringing more snow for another day of snowballs and fun times. He still couldn't get over the fact that someone could _finally_ see him, that he was _actually_ talking with someone else. It seemed almost too good to be true, but yet it was happening, right then and there.

Before Jack allowed himself to get carried away from the excitement of his thoughts, he realized that he didn't know the girl's name, and if anything, he still wasn't sure how exactly she came across knowing him. Leaning into his staff, he eyed her curiously, trying to think if he had ever seen her before. "May I ask for your name though?" Jack finally asked, not wanting to bombard the girl with questions.

"Oh, how could I forget," the girl responded with her own nervous laugh, pushing some hair behind her ear. "My name is Xion."

_Xion huh?_ Jack Frost thought to himself, repeating her name over and over and hoping when he said her name it would be the wrong pronunciation of it. He realized that even though he was excited to finally talk to another person, he still wasn't completely sure on what to go on. If it wasn't for the fact that he was just so curious about her, then he knew he would've been more stuck than before. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Xion. My name is Jack Frost," he finally responded, not wanting the girl to think he was ignoring her. He paused briefly, trying to get his thoughts together, too many questions going through his mind.

It took him, what seemed like minutes, to finally form a decent question, just wondering what was going on through her mind. "So Xion, what brings you here in the first place? And how were you able to see me?" He looked at her after he asked those questions; blue eyes looking right back at into blue eyes. Part of him wondered if it was a good idea to immediately ask her something like that, but he had to know.

"I guess… I guess you can say I believe in a lot of things," Xion finally answered, trying to gather the rest of her thoughts her own before continuing. "I've been to many places before and I've seen so many things, so being able to see you wasn't too much of a problem. I had been a bit hesitant to talk to you, fearing for any kind of interference, but then I realized… You looked so lonely and sad, and lost… No one deserves to be alone…"

Jack listened to Xion's response, his facial expression turning emotionless, but the sadness in his eyes conveying the truth in what she had said. It surprised him still that he had never noticed her before, never noticed a mysterious hooded figure going around the streets, or strange dark portals appearing out of nowhere. As he listened to her, he couldn't help but hear a bit of sadness in her own voice, like she could completely understand where he was coming from, which made him wonder; was she alone herself? What had really brought her here?

"As for the reason why I came here," Xion continued, having taken more time to process her thoughts, "I had wanted to see it snow. Where I'm from, it's never snowed before. It's always been quite warm, which is never a problem, but seeing snow and having a snowball fight was on the list of things to do with my friends. That, and going with them to the beach on our next day off."

Again, more questions arose in the winter spirit's mind, but he pushed them aside when he realized that Xion had never really experienced snow until she came here, until she had managed to see him. Just then, an idea came to him, and Jack's sullen features changed to show off what he lived for; playful, fun, and childish. He grinned brightly at Xion, showing off his white teeth to a confused Xion. He bent down and took some snow from a nearby pile into his hands, easily changing it into a snowball and grinning deviously at Xion. "Well then Xion, if it's a snowball fight you want," he began, blowing over it carefully as he felt his grin grow some more, "Then it's a snowball you shall get!"

He finished what he had to say by throwing a snowball into Xion's face. He watched as she at first, looked almost baffled before the sky blue sparks appeared and disappeared, his magic working on the raven haired girl who grinned back at him, a challenging look in her eyes. Jack watched as she returned the favor by getting her own handful of snow, turning it into a snowball, and throwing it back at him.

The snowball fight between Xion and Jack Frost had lasted on for what seemed like hours. Jack was going to make sure that she had the best snow experience ever, as a way to thank her for being able to see him. More than anything, he wanted to bring a bright smile onto that girl's face, because that was what he loved to see when playing in the snow, whether people could see him or not. Their laughter was loud enough to wake up anyone around them, except for the fact that no one _could_ hear their laughter. Of course, that wasn't too much of a concern to them since they were having too much fun. The closing of their fun in the snow consisted of Xion getting the remainder of the snow out of her hood that Jack had slipped in at one point, and Jack carrying Xion on the roof of one of the highest buildings in the neighborhood, the two of them still laughing at some of their favorite moments.

"You know, Jack," Xion began with a smile, looking up at the moon, "This is the most fun I've ever had in quite some time. So thank you, so much. I really do mean it."

Jack beamed happily, feeling prideful and appreciative at her comment. He laid his staff behind him, making sure that it wouldn't fall off and looked back at Xion. "Well, I'm glad I did my job well. Not like I ever could," he responded, ending on a bit of a smug note as he looked up at the moon. "Maybe next time you come around, you can bring your friends over so they can share in the fun as well."

He continued to grin, not allowing the thought of fear that maybe she would be the only one to see him out of her friends, yet his smiled faltered when he saw the saddened expression on her face. His eyebrows furrowed as he looked at his new friend in concern, placing a hand on her shoulder. "What's the matter, Xion?" He waited for his friend to respond, observing as she looked at him before looking right back up at the moon. It already hurt him to see her so sad again, especially after all the fun they just had.

"The thing is Jack," Xion finally answered, her voice sounding hesitant, "I'm not sure if I'll be able to bring my friends next time because the truth is, they don't remember me. In fact, I'm not even really supposed to exist right now, and my existence with my friends is nothing but a faded memory…"

Jack listened to her answer with a mixture of horror and disbelief. How could she say she didn't exist when she was right there beside him? He knew he didn't dream her up, and would scarcely believe what she said. Yet at the same time, he knew she wasn't lying, and that was even more heart breaking for him. "But then how can I see you, Xion? How can you claim you don't exist when you're right here?" Jack asked, looking into the young girl's eyes. Minus the fact that this idea was making him sad, he was just as confused as well.

Xion was still silent, looking away from Jack, although the faintest hint of a smile appeared on her face. "To help you, Jack," was her response as she looked back at him again. "I know that you feel lost and alone, and that you don't think anyone will ever take notice of you, that you constantly question your purpose and your meaning to the world. But believe me that someday, it'll happen." She paused and looked up at the moon, closing her eyes and feeling the slight breeze through her hair. "Just like, even though I know I don't exist anymore in the memory of my friends, I still won't give up hope in that some part of me still lingers. And when we can finally reunite again, we can continue watching sunsets on the ledge of the clock tower and eating our favorite ice cream."

There was another pause as if she had returned back to her train of thoughts, reflecting on her memories of her friends. Jack wondered what her friends were like and what kind of situation would've caused her to not be part of the lives of the people that she loved, to deal with the kind of fate that she was part of now.

"It always takes just _one_ person, Jack," Xion continued, opening her eyes and looking back at the winter spirit with a gentle smile, "To make all the difference in the world. It always takes time and patience, but the time will come."

She stood up slowly and carefully as she finished her sentence, Jack quickly getting up and grabbing onto his staff. There was no denying that Xion was leaving, and although he knew it was going to happen, it made him sad all the same. He watched as she summoned another dark portal, making her way to enter before he brought himself to stop her, holding onto her hand lightly. "I'm not even going to get a proper goodbye?" Jack asked in a light yet teasing tone. "Surely you're going to come back and visit me, right?"

Xion turned to look back at him, obviously surprised that he had stopped her, which Jack didn't blame her for. He watched as the smile grew back on her face as she nodded. "Of course I will Jack," she replied in a tone that was like she was scolding him for even thinking of such a ridiculous thing. She turned to face him, Jack letting go of his gentle grip, her smile still present on her face. "Just promise that you won't forget me, Jack?"

"It's a promise," Jack responded positively, a cheerful grin on his face as he ruffled Xion's hair, causing the girl to laugh. He watched as she walked into the open portal and turned to face him, giving him a final wave before pulling her hood over her head and disappearing completely. He stayed there in place, even after she was gone, keeping her promise to heart before flying back into the air, bringing in more snow than he had ever done before. Even if he didn't immediately see her again, her company was good enough to put him in a good mood for the rest of the night.

Sitting by the window in North's workshop, Jack Frost thought back to the words that the young girl had spoken to him. At first, he believed her, but continued to lose faith when the same results continued and he could do nothing but feel discouraged. But everything changed when he was chosen to be a Guardian, fought Pitch, and finally got a child to believe in him. Not only that, but he had remembered about his past, that he barely even knew about until Tooth told him, and he was finally getting what he had always longed for.

_She was definitely right_, he thought happily, then trying to remember the name of the young girl. It was strange on how he knew her name, or he felt like he knew it, but it was basically stuck at the tip of his tongue. When thinking back on when he met her, it was like his memory was foggy, which worried him because he knew he made a promise, but for what that promise contained, he surely could not remember. It was definitely troubling him, and he was about to ask Tooth if maybe some part of his memories hadn't exactly come back to him. Baby Tooth had flown over to him, wondering what could be upsetting the winter spirit now.

With a sigh, Jack closed his eyes and opened them again before he noticed something strange in the distance; a black portal appearing out in the snow. Jack's eyes widened, a grin immediately growing on his face as he shot up from his spot and flew outside, barely paying attention to the surprised questions of the others and with Baby Tooth following alongside him closely. He couldn't quite explain it, but he just _knew_ that he had to get out there.

Once he was close enough, he slowly lowered himself on the ground, walking the rest of the way of the way there. Baby Tooth had caught up with Jack and flew into his hood, trying to keep warm. At the sight of the mysterious black portal, Baby Tooth assumed that it was something from Pitch, chirping in Jack's ear.

"It's nothing to worry about, Baby Tooth," Jack reassured the little mini fairy before refocusing his attention on the portal. After he had said that, a hooded figure had walked out slowly, walking up towards Jack before stopping, a good foot and a half away from him. There was a silence as they looked on at each other, before the hooded figure pulled down their hood and a familiar face emerged, as well as the memories that came from that person. "It's great to see you again, Xion."

The girl looked up at him and nodded, as a grin appeared on her face, her blue eyes shining brightly. "It's great to see you too Jack Frost," Xion happily responded, pushing some hair back before continuing on. "Thanks for keeping your promise, Jack."

Jack Frost just simply nodded, acknowledging her thanks with a grin on his face as he playfully messed with Xion's hair again, smiling at the sound of her laughter. _No Xion_. _Thank you._


End file.
